1. Forget about what you’ve “been dreaming about since kindergarten”
People will always tell you “I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was 5.” That’s nice, but it’s not realistic. We grow and change over the years, so although little-you might’ve wanted to be a doctor, college-you might want to be a teacher or a lawyer, and that’s okay too! Just like changing your major at the last minute sophomore year is perfectly fine.
2. Get experience and see what you like
Be an intern or get a job to see what you like or what you don’t like. Maybe work for a business and see which aspect you like the most, maybe shadow a doctor and see if you’d like to be a doctor or a nurse, maybe intern at a law firm to see what it would be like to become a lawyer or a paralegal! I was pre-med when I came to Oxford, but I hated chemistry and had a law internship which I absolutely loved. Because I got to experience what lawyers do, I changed my major to English with a pre-law track!
3. Make sure you know what job or educational opportunities come afterward
Too many people get a major without knowing what it will lead them to. Yes, most majors now allow you to do anything you want because graduate schools have broadened what they are looking for in students, but if you aren’t looking to further your education, be careful! With an English major, you could be a teacher or a writer, but you probably can’t work in a lab, just like a biology major probably can’t become a paralegal!
4. If you don’t know what you want to do, keep it broad
In case you really don’t know what you’d like to do in the future, pick something that allows you to work anywhere or apply to any grad school! Doing the business degree in undergrad at Emory is a wonderful choice because you can do anything with that afterward, but there are also other majors, in case math isn’t really your thing. Just don’t pick something overly specific.
5. DO WHAT YOU LOVE
If you hate science, you hate science, don’t pick a science major just because you want to be pre-med and think it will look better when you apply to medical school! They accept all majors, so have a 4.0 as an English major while filling in the pre-med requirements will look 100% better than a 3.0 as a biology major. Major in what you’re passionate about; you’ll be interested in the classes, you will do better, and you will enjoy college a lot more.